Vientiane aka: ວຽງຈັນ, Viang-chan

Everyone I know that has been to Laos said “Don’t go to Vientiane! It’s crap!!”

But I went… it’s the perfect place to travel through on your way to other areas. We flew up from Bangkok to Udon Thani and then crossed the boarder into Vientiane. We only stayed overnight, but it was better than going all the way to Vang Vien non-stop.

There are some beautiful views by the river, so stop overnight and check out some of the restaurants before moving on.

I actually have some reasonably fond memories of Vientiane. There were a couple of superb Laotian restaurants there. But you have to draw the line somewhere—there are many more interesting locations in Southeast Asia, including Luang Prabang.

I loved the atmosphere of this place. At times it seemed like a ghost town. There is the remnants of French colonial culture along with the chilled out Lao culture. There isn’t a whole lot to see, but it is worth a visit. I stayed at the Lane Xang Hotel, this dusty old colonial era hotel that reminded me of the hotel in the movie The Shining. There is alot of good food in Vientiane also from all different cultures. It’s a great place to visit if you like eating.

I spent one year in Vientiane working for the French Embassy.

I really enjoyed the place there. Really nice area, nice people. Time goes slowly there, the city doesnt look like a South-East Asia capital, more like a small African town. The sunsets next to the Mekong remain as one of my best travel memories…

everything in vientiane is peaceful and quiet. the mekong always there, the mytical river that has so many literary references for me, it looks… understated. it’s just there, big and slow, and it sets the pace for the whole city. very few cars, very few people, but overall so so so lovely. old colonial buildings here and there, nice restaurants on the river, cute shops and the market (which is very good for silver and fabrics). i loved it. i loved the mixture of colonial, western and eastern, baguettes sold by old women on bycicles of the kind you only see in this part of the world, motorbikes ridden by schoolgirls wearing typical lao skirts, etc. and of course, beer lao! and french cuisine! and silk!

it’s a good place to stop for a couple of days before going on to the rest of laos.